The Last Krotion
by darkheart753
Summary: The prologue has... or rather is... the summary. Finally get to post something. And this one hopefully doesn't suck.
1. Prologue

Well, it's been a while, but I think this story will be the one that I'll never be able to top. I haven't been able to post anything, but this should make up for it. Oh, by the way, when I'm done with this, I'm going to create a different ending to _Bully II: Gary's Revenge_ because the ending sucked dick. You know it, I know it. Here's the newest story to the darkheart753 arsenal... okay, that's cheesy. I'll just make this short and sweet. New story. This is the epilogue. It explains a lot of what will happen. Lots of surprises, moves sorta slow, this'll be several chapters long, so grab the popcorn and tissues and pull up a comfortable chair.

Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters in this story. They belong to SEGA. If I owned them, why the fuck would I be writing fanfictions?

**The Last Krotion**

Power comes with a price. Even the strongest among us can succumb to it's temptation. In a world with a bountiful supply of anything one could want, someone will come when it beckons.

The world is in a constant cycle. Even when everything is bliss, something will go wrong. As this story will reveal, even the most perfect world can be ruined by a thirst for power.

It was a wonderful morning in Central City. Now that Sonic and the gang lived here, the city was the picture of peace. It seemed that nothing could disturb this piece; even Eggman wouldn't dare. He was retired, after all.

Ever since the Last Fight between Sonic and the Nocturnus Clan, the world was at peace. However, Sonic was the first to admit that it would be so much nicer if Shadow had stayed with the rest of the gang instead of running off to do his own thing. Everyone missed the dark hedgehog; even Amy, who always hated his guts for getting more (although negative) attention from Sonic.

Lately, even Omega was antsy about not having Shadow around. It wasn't enjoyable to go on missions with only two thirds of Team Dark available. As a matter of fact, it was no fun at all.

The last anyone had heard of Shadow was in the newspaper: someone had reported a black hedgehog sitting on their roof enjoying a hard roll and a small piece of cheese. For some reason, the hedgehog was gone hours before the police got there.

Today, Rouge was simply sitting in her living room, looking at old photographs and reminiscing of times long since past. Of everyone on the team, she missed Shadow the most of all. After all, she had touched his heart in a way none thought possible.

Sonic came running into her house with a purpose none had seen from him in a long time. "Rouge, we've got trouble!" Without any further explanation, he was out the door. Rouge, puzzled, got up and ran after the blue speedster.

By the time the team was assembled, the danger was passed. Standing in puzzlement, Sonic listened patiently as the police explained what they saw.

"Well, Sonic," they began, "it all happened very quickly. This guy knew what he wanted and got it done." Nearby, the CSI team was gathering evidence close to the crime scene. In the middle of the street, the Commander of the Guardians of United Nations lay stone dead, a single gunshot in his forehead. Next to him and nearby, twenty other humans lay with similar executioner-style wounds, all dead. "Phil saw a dark flash as the guy ran by. Then, we saw him in front of us. Before we could raise our guns, all twenty-one of the victims were shot. Then, he was gone."

Tails scratched his head. "What did he look like?"

"Like Sonic, only he was black, his bottom six groups of quills pointed up, and his eyes were blood-red." The police official answered.

- - -

Well, that's all for now. You'll get Chapter 1 next week. NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH! :P


	2. Chapter 1

I changed my mind. Since I have most of the story on paper anyway, I'll post the chapters as often as possible... but only one per day. That way it gives you something to look forward to.

I don't own any... ah, hell, you know how it goes.

I'm not naming the chapters. So much shit happens in the chapters that I'm not going to bother.

- - -

"No way!" Rouge shouted, standing up from her chair. The gang was gathered in their conference room discussing their Plan of Action. "It wasn't Shadow!"

Tails gazed calmly at the white bat. "All the evidence points directly at him: black hedgehog, lightning-fast reflexes, upward-curved quills, and red eyes. It had to be him."

"But it's not like him to just run up, fire a gun, and leave. He makes things personal." The bat protested, slamming her fist down on the table. "Shadow would never do a job that way."

Sonic sighed. "You're just going to have to face the facts: Shadow is a cold, ruthless criminal." Without another word on the matter, Sonic stood up. "We search for Shadow starting at daybreak, come hell of high water."

- - -

The sun rose reluctantly the next morning, almost as if it didn't want to see the next day. Sonic and his team were now heading for Glyphic Canyon, while Tails and his team headed for the forest, Knuckles went to Angel Island, and Espio trudged to the Mystic Marsh. Rouge was to stay behind in Central City to wait if he came back, but she knew they just wanted to keep her out of the way.

The sun reflected off the waters of the marsh quite nicely. Espio, followed closely by Big, Cream, and Charmy, trudged through the swampy muck. Cheese was sitting on Cream's head, shivering like a leaf in the wind.

"Are we done yet?" Charmy whimpered, hiding behind Big.

Espio rolled his eyes. _Why did I get all the cowards?_ "We aren't done until we've combed the entire swamp. Until then, we'll stay and search for Shadow as long as it takes.:

Charmy groaned and flew up to only a few feet behind Espio. "Well, why can't we just track his Chaos Energy signature like he does to us? I mean, why look for him if he always knows where you are and can hide where you've already been?"

Espio grinned. "Excellent point, Charmy. How about we double-check the entire swamp? Then he won't have anywhere to hide. Great thinking, buzz-butt." Cheerfully, Espio walked ahead.

Cream leered at Charmy as she walked past. "Great going, Charmy. Now we have to stay here even _longer_."

Big blinked twice. "I don't get it. What's so bad about the marsh? I live here!" He ran after the other three.

- - -

Vector yawned. "Hey, why did I get assigned to Angel Island, anyway? Why couldn't I go with Espio?"

Knuckles spun around and glared at the oversized crocodile. "What's wrong with Angel Island? My entire clan lived here for generations!" Without listening to Vector's answer, he pulled back his fist and punched the lizard in the belly, sending him flying backwards and landing on Silver.

Silver growled. "Get off! You're crushing my ribs!"

Vector rolled off slowly and pushed himself up. "He punched me! I didn't mean to fall on you."

Silver proceeded to dust himself off. "Well, we really should be looking for Shadow."

Suddenly, the communicator Tails gave to Knuckles started going off. The crimson echidna opened it and looked at the screen. Espio had sent him a message. Knuckles pursed his lips and stored the communicator. "Espio couldn't find him. He and his team split up to fill Sonic's and Tails'. We're going to search the island until we've combed the everywhere. If we don't find him, Vector will go help Tails. Silver, you will go help Sonic. I'll stay here in case he shows and tries to take the Master Emerald. Let's move out!"

- - -

Sunlight filtered down from the treetops in the forest near Westopolis where Tails was searching. A wind scarcely stumbled through the trees. Slowly, Tails and his team scoured the entire area. After a while, Espio and Charmy arrived and began to assist their search.

Tails sighed in despair. "We've looked everywhere. Shadow just isn't in the forest."

Without warning, Vector stumbled through some nearby bushes and happened upon Tails and his group. "Oh, there you are!" he gasped, obviously out of breath.

"Vector, why are you so tired? Are you all right?" Blaze gasped.

"I just came from Angel Island. We couldn't find Shadow. Silver went to help Sonic. Knuckles decided to stay behind." Vector explained.

"Is he nuts?" Tails shrieked. "There's no way Knuckles can take Shadow down by himself! He should know better!"

"I know, but he wouldn't let us stay. We tried arguing, but he wouldn't hear it." Vector sighed.

"The fool." Blaze growled. "We better go make sure he doesn't get himself hurt too badly."

"Good idea." Espio nodded briefly, the rest of the team already preparing to go to Angel Island.

- - -

In Glyphic Canyon, the sun was beating down, turning the place into a sauna. Sonic must have at least wiped a gallon of sweat from his forehead. He looked back at his team. "If we can't find him here, where will we look?"

Omega 'blinked'. "MEMORY DATABASE INDICATES SHADOW ENJOYED HANGING AROUND THE SPACE COLONY ARK. I SUGGEST WE LOOK THERE."

"Good plan, Omega." Cream smiled.

Sonic sighed. "Well, how about we rest here? I'm exhausted." The blue hero groaned as he sat down and leaned up against the steep rock wall that bordered the left side of the canyon. Cream sat down next to him, faithfully mimicked by Cheese.

Omega unfolded the solar panels on his right arm and sat down on a rock. "THERE ARE SEVERAL DOWNFALLS TO BEING A ROBOT. THE NEED TO CONSTANTLY RECHARGE A BATTERY IS ONE OF THEM."

After thirty minutes, Sonic stood up. "We better get moving if we have any hope of finding Shadow today."

- - -

Silver smashed his fists into the ground. "At this rate, we'll never find that stupid hedgehog, Sonic. We need to move faster if we want to find him. Besides, I don't think he would be so foolish as to go somewhere we would expect. Shadow is clever: he wouldn't run into the middle of a field during a lightning storm. He would run as far and fast as he could to find a safe place to hide and regroup."

Sonic glared at the ivory hedgehog. "Oh? And what do you know about Shadow? You've only known him for a few months! You don't know him like we do! We've fought him before. Don't act as though you know everything about everyone, because you don't! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

Cream rushed between the two hedgehogs. "Please don't fight! It won't get us any closer to finding Shadow!"

Cheese glared, copying Cream's actions. "Cha-Chao Chaocha!" (It probably meant either 'knock it off guys' or 'I like cherry pies.')

Soon, even Big joined in. "Guys, fighting each other won't help!"

Sonic snorted. "Maybe you're right. Look, we'd cover more ground if we split up. Silver, you take Big, Cream, and everyone else and go do whatever the fuck you want to do. Jack off for all I care. I'll take Omega and Espio. We'll find Shadow. However, we'll continue our search tomorrow. For now, let's find somewhere cool to rest. We move on at dawn."

- - -

The next morning, Sonic, Omega, and Espio traveled down along Glyphic Canyon, while Silver, Cream, Big, and Charmy left the canyon. Sonic shook his head as he and his team continued down the basin.

After a few hours, the team came across a shallow stream. Omega sat down, unfolding his solar panels in the sunlight. While he recharged, Sonic and Espio knelt near the crystalline waters and took short drinks, splashing the cool liquid on their faces and necks.

Nearby, there was a deeper river, flowing down the path until it came to a pool. Upriver, there was a steep waterfall, churning the water and throwing a misty shower to the rocks carved by the falls.

Sonic looked over at the waterfall, gazing at the rainbow formed in the wet air. For a moment, he thought he saw the tiniest glint of gold from behind the waterfall. He stood up, already eager to explore this mystery at the edge of the boundary between Glyphic Canyon and the Scorched Valley, where Black Doom's body crashed into the land, destroying anything and everything within a half-mile radius.

Behind the waterfall, Sonic spotted a cavern. It must have gone on for miles, as he could not see an end to it. Hanging on a stalagmite was what had cause the glint: a single golden ring, soaked by the waterfall. Omega quickly wheeled through the water and reached up, wrapping his claws around the tiny ring. "SENSORS INDICATE HIGH LEVELS OF BOTH DARK AND LIGHT CHAOS ENERGY. SIGNATURE IS IDENTICAL TO THAT OF THE ULTIMATE LIFE FORM. THIS IS ONE OF SHADOW'S WRISTBANDS."

Espio smirked. "If that's one of Shadow's rings, the other one can't be too far off. Shadow wouldn't go too far without them. I bet if we keep following this cavern, we'll either find Shadow... or his grave."

- - -

There. Chapter 2 will be on next week.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2... I don't have anything to say yet. Oh, this chapter is full of information. That's about it.

You know the drill. 'I don't own shit.' ...yet.

- - -

It seemed like they had been walking for hours. Omega 'groaned', annoyed. "How much longer can you hold that light, Omega?" Espio asked.

"I WILL KEEP THESE HEADLIGHTS ON UNTIL WE FIND SHADOW, EVEN IF IT MEANS YOU MUST DRAG ME INTO THE LIGHT." Omega confirmed.

Espio nodded and ran over to Sonic. "What do we do if he isn't here?"

"We go to the ARK like Omega suggested."

"And if he isn't there?"

"We search to the ends of Mobius until we find him: end of story."

Far back in the tunnel, the team came across a small crack in a dead-end wall. Through the crack spilled daylight. Omega looked at the smooth stone surface. "THIS IS TOO SMOOTH TO BE NATURAL THIS FAR FROM WATER. SOMEONE DIDN'T WANT ANYONE TO COME THROUGH THIS WAY. SHALL I CLEAR THE TUNNEL SO WE CAN KEEP GOING?"

"Do it." Sonic growled, shielding his eyes.

Omega lifted one arm, changed it to a cannon, and fired a single missile.

Sunlight poured into the tunnel as the smoke and rubble cleared. Omega looked around as Espio cautiously stepped into the sunlight. "Wow... this is spectacular!" High up, there was a tiny little hole in which the sunlight filtered through. The cave was filled with iridescent crystals of blue, green, and purple. The sunlight reflected off each crystal, creating beautiful light shows of the cool colors as the sun danced in the sky. Sonic looked in the middle of the room and spotted a hole just large enough for him and Espio to climb down.

"Omega, you'll have to stay up here and keep watch. That hole is too narrow for you." Sonic sighed. "It's just you and me from here in, Espio." With that, the blue hedgehog jumped down into the lower cave.

Down in that cave, the crystals were all purple and red. This room seemed much more dismal. In one of the crystals, something had carved an arrow deep in the stone. Sonic walked over and examined it as Espio jumped down.

"What is it?" Espio asked.

Sonic gulped. "These marks are deep. What in the world could leave marks to this depth in solid crystals?"

Espio frowned. "Whatever it is, it was huge and choosy. That's the only crystal with a mark. Either it was to find it's way back out..."

"Or it wanted to lead us in, which could be good or bad." Sonic finished.

"Right." Espio nodded. "Should we keep going?"

Sonic looked up and gasped. "We're going on." As the hedgehog stood up, Espio saw what he was looking at. On the floor, exactly where the arrow was pointing, lay a single golden ring. "That's one of Shadow's rings. I have the other right here."

Espio walked over to the ring and picked it up. "There's a note here, but it's old a wrinkled. Most of the writing is faded, but I can make out three words and a few letters. I see 'rare'... 'believed'... 'species'. The letters 'R', 'K', a pair of 'O's, 'T', 'N', and an 'I'. Any idea what it means?"

"I don't know, but we should keep it. If there's anyone who knows about rare species, it's Shadow. Maybe if we find him, he can explain it to us." Sonic replied.

Espio nodded. "I just have one question."

"What's that?"

"I'm not sure why you didn't think of this." Espio chuckled, shaking his head. "How are we going to see where we're going in that tunnel if it goes back too deep?"

- - -

Sonic and Espio were deep in the tunnel. In the speed demon's left hand was the blue Chaos Emerald. "Good thing Shadow is practically a natural Chaos Emerald." Espio grinned.

"Yup. Let's keep going. I'm sure we'll find him here somewhere." Sonic replied seriously, his eyes burning with determination.

It seemed like hours before the two-man team got anywhere in the dark tunnel. After quite a while, the two found a torch, which Sonic promptly lit using friction. Finally, they reached a stone door with several strange markings on it.

"This door is covered with ancient text. It's faded, but I can tell it's from long before Christ. Maybe before the first real civilization." Espio muttered. "This writing is all ancient Krotion writing... but the Krotions were believed to be and extinct race of hedgehogs. They were told to have access to unlimited powers, but most of them didn't like fighting. Then, the Nocturnus teamed with the Knuckles in an effort to free the animals from 'oppression' by the god-like race. They lost the war, but the Krotions suffered too. Their numbers were nearly wiped out before Echo, the commander of the Krotion's army, led his few troops in a last ditch effort. They wiped out half the Nocturnus, most of the Knuckles, and killed the current chiefs of both clans. Then, both echidna clans forfeited. After the war, Potowatamac and Lord Ix were promoted to chiefs. After that happened, the Krotions went missing for a thousand years. They reappeared in a few legends, but they haven't made a real comeback yet."

Sonic looked up at the top of the door. "What does it say?"

Espio frowned. "Something about destiny and all that sort of thing. I don't understand 90 percent of it, and the other eight percent is so faded that I doubt anyone but a Krotion could read it. Ancient text is Rouge's thing. How are we going to get past the door though?"

Sonic burst into laughter. "Some observant ninja you are. There's a doorknob."

- - -

Espio shuddered as they walked into the high-ceiling cave behind the door. Nearby, there was a stone staircase. "This place gives me the creeps, Sonic. We should turn back and come again with more--" He stopped when he saw something on the fifth step up. Laying neatly on the edge was yet another golden ring.

"This is Shadow's left anklet." Sonic divulged. "He's left clues all over the place. He wants us to find him for some reason." He paused, turning towards the ninja. "I don't know why, but he wants us to come. Be ready for anything."

- - -

Sonic could feel shivers running down his spine as the two stepped into a large room. Littered on the floor were bits and pieces of different colored crystals. There was a hole in the ceiling here, too. It sent light down to a large, obsidian crystal in the center of the room. Near the crystal, lying lonely on the ground, was the final ring.

Sonic looked at and circled the large gem. Without a word, he pulled back his arm. "We have no other option." He narrowed his eyes as a blue orb of pure energy formed in his hand. "Chaos Bolt!" the blue hero snarled, sending the orb into the crystal.

A crack chased up the gem towards the ceiling. Light spilled out of the crack and the entire jewel busted into a thousand tiny pieces, revealing a completely black hedgehog of about 18 years of age. He was about six feet tall, slim, but sinewy and robust. His face appeared chiseled by gods, but not so much that you would think he was a fallen angel. His abs stuck out visibly behind his skin-tight black tank top. His black jeans covered his muscular legs. He looked up at the two in the room as he stepped out of the crystal rubble, revealing regular white sneakers with the Adidas symbol on the side. His shiny, smooth jet-black hair shifted with his head, the crimson highlights rippling in the uncanny lighting. As he opened his eyes, Sonic saw two pools of amber in his eyes. Even to the male hedgehog, they looked sexy and seductive.

His appearance was only rivaled by his smooth, baritone voice as he finally spoke. "So, you've come looking for me." He looked down at his body, then looked over the blue hedgehog and lavender chameleon. "I see our appearances have changed, but not your eyes." His pants rippled only slightly as he walked over to the hero. "Your eyes never changed, Sonic."

"What are you talking about?" Sonic asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Maybe it'd jog your memory if I called you the name I used to call you. A name the befits someone so foolish that it still rings within your head, a distant memory from a past such a short time ago... moron."

Sonic froze. There was only one person in the world who called him only a moron, but this guy was so... different. There was no doubt, it was Shadow, but he had... changed. Matured. He was no longer the rebellious, cocky teenager he used to be. He was a man.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He opened his mouth, closed it again, opened it, closed it again, and finally sighed. "You've changed a lot. Two years ago, you would've rephrased every word. It would've sounded more like-"

"More like this." Shadow cleared his throat. " 'What the hell do you want, moron?' and nothing else." He chuckled. "I was sixteen and new everything. I've gotten older and become more mature. Unfortunately, I'm still not very good at using my newest powers." He pointed at what was left of the crystal. "I was trying to form a shield with that, but I put to much power into it and couldn't lower it again. I've been stuck in there for three months. Luckily, my rings were outside it and I had enough power left in my body to levitate them out far enough to lead you here... by the way, what brought you to Glyphic Canyon?"

"A black hedgehog came to Westopolis and murdered twenty-one humans, including the Commander. We thought it was you."

Suddenly, Shadow's disposition changed. His eyes caught fire as he clenched his teeth, glowering at Sonic. "How were they killed?" He asked, clearly trying to calm himself.

"Out in public, executioner-style."

This set the ultimate life form off like a match to a candle. "YOU THINK I'D KILL SOMEONE LIKE THAT?!?" he roared, sending a familiar chill down Sonic's spine. The black hedgehog's eyes turned obsidian with fury. He snarled and clenched his fists. "One thing I'm not is a murderer! Mean, yes. Reckless, perhaps. Headstrong, absolutely. But I am no murderer! That's for cowards, for the deepest circle of hell is reserved for murderers and mutineers. If I'm going to kill you, it would be a sight to behold!" At this, he slightly trailed of subject. "Blood spattered everywhere, the weapon nowhere to be found. Any source of visual identification demolished. Entrails scattered on the floor, crimson liquid still squirting from the victim's body... beautiful." He blinked and looked back at Sonic. "I would make the scene so vile that when the investigators get there, go back outside, and puke their guts out. I wouldn't make it easy or fun to investigate." He stopped. "Were there any witnesses?"

"Tons."

"WHAT KIND OF IDIOT DO YOU THINK I AM?" He screamed, arms waving. "YOU HAVE TO BE THE BIGGEST MORON IN THE WORLD! Even Rouge-" the sable hedgehog paused, taking a deep breath, sighing, and relaxing his shoulders. "How is she?"

Sonic frowned. "She misses you more than anyone. She's the only one who didn't think you killed them."

A sparkle reached Shadow's eyes as they became amber once more. He sighed. "Well, we may as well go. It's rather bleak in this cave. Besides, the guys will be wanting to know if I've been 'apprehended'." At this, the black hedgehog sniggered as he walked towards the stone staircase. "As if you could get me by yourself, even with Espio here."

Espio glared and clenched his teeth. "You don't think we could take you?" Sonic spat, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't think." Shadow replied, looking at Sonic with a cold luster in his eyes. "I _know_."

"What makes you so sure? I've learned some new tricks." Sonic snapped.

"As have I, Shadow." Espio confirmed, already preparing for a fight.

Shadow snickered. "I've learned more than you can imagine. Winning is in my blood. My kind never loses."

"Your kind? What are you talking about?" Espio tilted his head to the side, confused.

Shadow sneered. "My grandfather was Echo, the commander of the Krotion army."

Sonic's expression immediately turned to one of fury. "You mean to tell me you're the grandson of a monster?!?"

What happened next would have been missed if you blinked. Shadow charged over to Sonic with inhuman speed, seized him by the throat, and slammed his back to the wall, pulling back his fist to punch him in the mouth. "Don't talk about my grandfather like that! You don't know the whole story, ingrate!" The obsidian hedgehog snarled, tightening his grasp around Sonic's throat.

A raspy gasp issued from the azure hero. Espio's eyes widened and he ran over to the sinewy anti-hero, grabbing his arm. "Easy, Shadow! You're going to kill him!" The dark hedgehog leered at Espio with a wild glint in his eyes, but loosened his grasp on Sonic's throat.

"Espio, back off. If it was your grandfather, you'd defend him too. Don't interfere." He growled, a definite venom in his voice.

"He and I don't know the story. How about you put him down, relax, and tell it to us." Espio advocated.

Shadow blinked and sighed. He lowered the blue hedgehog to the floor and, reluctantly, released his vice-like grip. Sonic wheezed, and rubbed his sore neck, ignoring the throbbing headache caused by oxygen deprivation.

Shadow pursed his lips. "Very well."

_Flashback_

_Echo looked out over the vast army of the Krotions with a satisfied grin. "You know what you were trained for! The Knuckles and the Nocturnus wish to destroy our existence with no cause! Remember that Potowatamac and his army gave us the black and white emeralds of Chaos. You will spare Potowatamac, but do not hold back against his army! Ix and his men, up until now, have done us no harm. Leave as many as you can alive, and spare the commanders of the army! The chiefs are the ones who turned their back on us, not them. Protect this village, your families, and your people!"_

_End Flashback_

"Echo was a good man. Potowatamac and Ix never did him any true harm, so he let them live. Why avenge yourself if there is nothing to be avenged? He was killed after the war for high treason to our chief. You see, his orders were to kill as many as he could, but as they had done him no harm, he refused to raise his sword to them. His wife, Sosami, died giving birth to my mother, Sable. Sable married Rico and had me ten years before the Nocturnus were sent to the Twilight Cage. The same day that happened, I ran away from home and was hit by a semi. Gerald Robotnik offered me a second chance at life, and all I had to do was participate in his experiment. Eagerly, I accepted. At that point, I was willing to sacrifice as much as my soul to survive."

Sonic was silent for a while. "If you wouldn't have died otherwise, would you have chosen immortality?"

Shadow bit his lower lip and stepped towards the staircase, deliberately ignoring the question. "Let's get a move on. We have to hurry up if we hope to get out of here before sunset."

"How? The door's locked."

Shadow smirked. "Has that ever stopped me?"

- - -

Omega 'sighed'. Sonic and Espio had been gone a long time. He stood up fro the rock he was sitting on. "WHY AM I WAITING HERE?" He asked himself, pointing his missile launchers at the floor. "ONE... TWO..." Omega began counting. Just before he reached three, a gloved hand shot out of the wall, grabbing hold of a blue crystal and yanking it back through the wall, creating a doorway. The robot 'blinked', staring at the doorway. He aimed his right missile launcher at the opening and 'narrowed' his optic lightbulb thingies, targeting the center of the hole.

There was a pause, where time itself seemed to stand still. No one breathed, no one moved. Omega's headlights didn't shine far enough, so the darkness was unbroken, save for two amber eyes sparkling in the shadows. They seemed to recognize Omega, searching his physique for any altercations.

Finally, a dark, smooth voice rang out like the cry of a hawk spotting prey for the first time in years, but not attacking it. "You haven't changed a bit, E-123." The time-ripened voice remarked, bouncing and reverberating off the walls like a smooth rubber ball.

Omega's circuits quivered at the sound. "SPEAK YOUR NAME."

"It is fascinating, how much a Krotion's appearance changes when it comes of age. The mind and body mature to physical and mental peak... muscular, but not ripped; the eyes become shiny, seductive, alluring, but not to the point where beauty meets godly; the mind thinks more maturely, waltzing on the line of gentlemanship or ladyship. However, the spirit stays the same, always retaining the personality, moral values, and will of the host."

Omega charged his missile launcher. "I'LL GIVE YOU TO THE COUNT OF THREE. ONE... TWO... THR-"

Before the robot could finish counting or stop himself from firing the missile, Shadow stepped into the light. The missile tore through the air towards the black hedgehog. He made no move to evade nor deflect the deadly projectile. Before anyone could react, it struck.

When the smoke and rubble cleared, in the doorway stood the flabbergasted Sonic and astonished Espio. In the center of the carnage stood the young Krotion, untouched and unscathed. An obsidian, yet translucent forcefield stood around his body. The field sank back into his body as he smirked at the robot. "Once again, you act without thinking things through." The black hedgehog stepped forward and looked the robot over. "You haven't changed, my friend. How's our other team member?"

The robot looked up at Shadow. "YOUR APPEARANCE AND POWER LEVEL HAVE CHANGED DRASTICALLY, SHADOW. ROUGE WILL BE EXCITED TO SEE YOU BACK IN WESTOPOLIS."

"I bet you a quart of oil and a monthly check-up that she won't recognize me." Shadow grinned.

"You're right. She probably won't." Espio laughed.

- - -

Well, that's chapter two. Hope you liked it. Ok, not really. I don't care what you think. I spent hours and hours writing this out on paper because I knew when I bought my computer, they'd have to squeegee my computer, so I couldn't give a fuck less if you like it or not. I'm proud it took longer than most of my other stories, so fuck you if you didn't like it. Flame me. I dare ya.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3... reunion, tears, unknown events... whatever.

- - -

An hour later, back in Westopolis, Rouge was impatiently waiting for Sonic's return. If he came back without Shadow, she knew she would have mixed feelings. On the one hand, she hadn't seen Shadow in two years. On the other hand, seeing him in handcuffs would kill her.

There was a knock at the door. She sighed and got up from the couch, walking slowly and leisurely towards the front room. "Who is it?" she asked, grabbing hold of the knob.

"It's Sonic, Espio, and Omega. We have someone here to see you." replied a familiar masculine voice on the other side of the door.

Rouge took a deep breath, sighed, and pulled open the door. In the doorway stood the three guys. Between them stood Shadow, arms slack and close together in front of his waist, head lowered, hands cupped together.

The confusion in her eyes was apparent as Rouge gazed at the handsome dark hedgehog. "Who is this?"

Shadow slowly raised his head and his amber eyes looked her over as he dry-swallowed. "You've matured." He finally said after staring at her slim body for a while.

Rouge leered at the black 'stranger', curling her hands into fists. "Who the hell are you?" she spat.

Shadow lowered his thin, dark ears. 'Maybe going through this change was a mistake,' he thought. 'Nobody knows me anymore.' He sighed mournfully.

Rouge stood silent, staring at the obsidian hedgehog. The air between them was still for what seemed like an eternity, no one making the slightest utterance, the only break being the wind rustling the leaves in the trees.

Finally, he blinked. "My appearance has changed, but so has yours. I know it's been a long time, but I had hoped you would know who I am. It's me. It's Shadow."

The ivory bat raised an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips. "The Shadow I remember had crimson streaks in his hair, on his arms, and on his legs. You're solid black, save for you hair. How could you be Shadow?"

Shadow growled deep in his throat, clenching his teeth and rubbing his head. 'There's got to be a way to convince her that I am who I say I am.' He looked at her after a minute with a sparkle in his eye. "Ask me a question only Shadow would know the right answer to."

Rouge blinked twice and sighed. "When Shadow was young, he had a pet. Not just any pet; it was a solid black mongoose with crimson eyes. What was his name?"

Shadow felt his heart sink. How could he forget his first pet's name? Maria was the one who got it for him. How could he forget what he named it?

What was it? Shredd? No, that was his cat, the one with green eyes and obsidian fur. He had a white spot on his chest, just like Shadow. Crunch? No, that was his python. Snatch? No. That was his weasel. Steele? Nope, that was the silver ferret with the scars on his legs from his last owner. He stood quietly, gnawing his lower lip, rubbing his chin, trying desperately to remember the name of his long-dead mongoose. He had owned such a small list of animals. How could he forget the most important one?

The expression on Rouge's face didn't change. "I'm waiting." Her bitterness was apparent. Shadow could tell she was upset. He had been gone for two years, and now this solid black hedgehog comes along and claims to be a long-lost friend? No. It was a cruel joke to her. Did she maybe think he was dead?

Omega shifted from foot to foot, wishing he could remind him of even the first letter. It was so simple: the name was easy for even a five-year-old to remember.

Shadow sighed. He was about to admit he didn't remember the answer when it hit him like a ton of bricks. _Echo_. The name did justice, repeating itself over and over in his head.

Rouge was about to go back inside when Shadow finally managed to squeeze out a word. "Echo."

There was a pause, when time itself once again stood motionless. Shadow felt as if the heavens themselves were staring, waiting, eager to see what happened next. He gulped and leaned his head forward. "His name was Echo. I named the mongoose Echo because he could make but one sound, a raspy hiss because his last owner had kicked him in the throat and smashed his voice box, but se loved to make sounds. He kept trying to say something else, but all he could do was that hiss, over and over like a broken record.

She sighed. "A lucky guess. How does Shadow like his alcohol?"

"Give me the darkest whiskey you can get a hold of on the rocks with a shot of Vodka."

"Shadow had a soft spot for one Chao. What was it's name?"

"His name was Lucifer. He was my devil Chao, the only Chao I ever had."

"How does Shadow spend his free time?"

"He enjoys sitting under trees, researching his past, insulting Sonic, and spending time alone." He hated talking in third-person, but he loved talking about himself.

Rouge eyed him curiously. "One last question. Before Shadow left, he said something meaningful to me. What were his exact words?"

The drove a sword right through Shadow's heart. The words rang in his ears, bells in his head. He broke so many promises without meaning to. He promised he'd be back before the year was up. He promised he would keep up a constant contact with her. He told her he'd be there, whatever it took. Those words rang in his head, resounding over and over again, a chime in the endless wind.

"I won't wait forever." Rouge cleared her throat. "I've done it too many times to want to do it any more."

Shadow felt his heart sink. He'd done it before. After the fight with Biolizard, he left. After the fight with Metal Sonic; Devil Doom; Lord Ix... every time, he left. He left and didn't look back until they truly needed him again. He broke her heart every time, without meaning to or even realizing it. He silently cursed himself and looked at her.

"Rouge, I've said a lot of things, but the biggest regret I have is breaking my promises: especially to you. I promised everything I promised Maria. Look what happened to her, though. I failed her too. She's gone." Shadow stopped. 'And I can't let that happen to you, too,' he thought. "And I let it happen because I was blind. But mark me well, I won't let it happen again. I won't let you share her fate. I swear on Maria's grave, if it costs me my life, I _will_ be there for you."

Rouge looked at the black transformation of her best friend. "We have a lot to talk about, you and I." She rose her head, finally addressing the guys behind him. "This is something I have to talk to him about alone. I'll talk to you guys later, kay?"

Sonic nodded quietly, motioned the others to follow, and started down the front path. Espio turned his head as they walked away. "We gotta go find Silver and rub the fact that we were right and he was wrong right in his know-it-all cracker face."

Shadow looked around the living room as soon as they got in. Nothing had changed. The scent of lavender still hung in the air. He breathed in the aroma deeply as he looked around the familiar setting, where he had seen Rouge the last time he was in town. The walls were still a creamy purple that made you want to both sigh in admiration and turn out your stomach all over the floor. The soft shag carpet, still violet and twice as sickening, was a bit cleaner, but still had the same effect as before. In the middle of the room was Rouge's glass coffee table, next to which sat the love seat that nobody liked to sit in, as it had her mother and father's first love-stain on the cushions. Shadow again wondered why Rouge hadn't gotten rid of the old thing and shook his head.

"I guess some things never change." He chuckled. Something caught his eye in the corner and he turned his head to look at it. It was a small playpen with a light purple blanket in the bottom. Littered inside were several small toys that Shadow suspected were from Bay-B's Toy Emporium in Central City. "Do you run a day-care now?"

Rouge sighed. "No. That's what I wanted to talk to you about." She paused, staring lovingly at the playpen. Shadow noticed the blanket shift. "Come here." she said, walking over to the pen.

Shadow strolled over and looked down into the pen. Underneath the blanket lay a small, black bet with white wings and red highlights in it's hair. "Who's is it?"

Rouge looked over at the ultimate life form. "He's ours."

- - -

I know what you're thinking. 'Whoa! Where did _that_ come from?' Well, you'll just have to wait for the next chapter for the explanation.


	5. Chapter 4

Sorry I haven't been able to post in a while. I finally got my computer unlocked. So, here it is, the next chapter.

Chapter 4. You know the drill.

Oh, and I've decided to up the rating to M for language, suggestive content, bloodshed, and violence.

- - -

Shadow gasped, almost choking on his own spit. "Wha? What do you mean, ours?"

Rouge turned to Shadow. "Do you remember that night, before you left? You spent the night at my house."

The dark hedgehog's heart began to race, his palms sweat, his stomach turned in knots. "Oh..." he began, remembering silently that night.

_Flashback_

"_Shadow, I don't want you to go. I'll miss you so much. I... I love you." The ivory bat cried, burying her face in his chest fur._

_Shadow was silent. He lifted her head by the chin and gazed into her teal eyes. Without a word, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, wrapping his arms around her body. He pulled away for a moment and rested his chin on the top of her head. "I'll miss you too, but this is something I have to do. I like it as much as you do, but as you must know by now, life is the most unkind thing in this world."_

_He could feel her tears falling onto his furry chest. He knew deep down that he would regret his next action more than anything he had ever done, but this could be his last chance._

_He brought his lips closer to her ear and whispered the most sentimental thing he had ever said to someone. "I love you too."_

_Rouge looked at him dreamily, making eye contact with his crimson irises. She lowered her eyelids halfway and led him upstairs._

_What happened next came slow and natural, with one piece of clothing coming off at a time._

_End Flashback_

Shadow blinked, his head swimming, and fell to his knees. How could he let this happen? A child—_his_ child—was brought into this world and he had no idea. He was gone a full year, so the kid was about three months old... his kid. It was both a dream and a nightmare. He always wanted a father-son relationship that he never had, but he didn't want it to be illegitimate. He couldn't find the words to explain anything.

Rouge knelt down next to him. "Shadow, don't worry. It's okay. You're here now. You didn't know about him."

The ultimate life form sighed. "How many others know?"

"I managed to keep the pregnancy secret. The only person who knows is the doctor who delivered him." She smiled. "Everyone else thinks I'm babysitting."

Shadow lowered his head, watching his bangs fall in front of his face in silence. Rouge frowned and watched with pity as the dark hedgehog's shoulders shuddered. "How could I let this happen?" He grumbled. "I should have stayed. I shouldn't have even done it... this is all my fault." he was silent as he collected his thoughts. "Are you okay? Physically, I mean."

Rouge gently stroked his hair. "A little shaken, but not too badly. However, he's been exhibiting some strange... things."

Shadow looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Like what?"

The ivory bat smirked, reaching into the playpen and lifting the small bundle. "He's smart. He understands what people say."

"So? Lot's of kids can-" Shadow began.

"And answers in perfect English." Rouge stopped him.

"Oh." The ultimate life form choked. "And he's only three months old."

"He can walk, talk, and even knows how to read." Rouge grabbed, handing Shadow the small babe.

The obsidian hedgehog looked down at the child with the eyes of a father. "Ah, life. Such a difficult thing to bring about, so strong, and yet so fragile. Like a candle, it can be blown out with a soft wind. At the same time, it can stand tall and firm like a tree. It's such a frangible thing..."

"He can fly too." She bragged as he slowly pulled the blanket away from the child's face. He pressed his lips against its forehead and whispered some strange language into his ear.

The boy opened his eyes gradually, first looking at his mother and then his father, this strange hedgehog that had only recently reappeared in this world. "Wh-Who are you?" he asked in a young, innocent voice.

Shadow looked at Rouge. "What's his name?"

Rouge smiled at Shadow and looked down at him. "Echo."

The black hedgehog's eyes widened, but then lowered as he smiled down at Echo. "And thusly, the cycle completes its round. My grandfather's name was Echo."

The ivory huntress looked down at the hedge-bat. "This is Shadow, Echo. He's your daddy."

The child looked up at Shadow, studying him with his large, green eyes. The room fell under a suffocating silence as Echo mulled it over, staring at the ebony hedgehog. Finally, Echo wrapped his tiny arms around Shadow's chest. "It's about time you got back. I've been waiting a long time to see you. Mommy always talks about you." He looked up into Shadow's large, amber eyes. "But why didn't you stay longer?"

Shadow was utterly silent, not sure what to say. All of a sudden, his ear twitched as a strange, foreign sound reached his eardrum.

Echo unfolded his wings and flew over to the window, peering through the shutters and raising an eyebrow. "What's that? It looks like an old fat guy in a yellow and red robot shooting missiles at a smaller, much younger-HEY! That's Uncle Sonic!"

Rouge and Shadow gasped, running over to the window. Without saying a word, Shadow charged out the door towards the battlefield.

"What happened to being retired?" Sonic shouted, just barely dodging one of Eggman's missiles.

"I got bored. Say hello to my latest invention! Behold, the Egg Destroyer!" Dr. Robotnik shouted.

Before anyone could react, Shadow had shot into the back of the robot, creating a nice hole right through the chest. When he landed, he leaned to one side, straightening the leg that wasn't underneath him and bending his other leg, allowing his arms to fall slack behind him. "So your latest is ED?" he chuckled with a halfway grin. "You know, they have medicine for that."

"Silence, infidel!"

"So now you're a suicide bomber? How... quaint. Childish, really. It's so... oh, what's the word? Ah! Mediocre." Shadow sneered, standing to full height and folding his sinewy arms across his chest. "Only people who don't know what the hell they're doing become suicide bombers."

Eggman rose an eyebrow. "Who exactly are you?" He asked, not recognizing the hedgehog after his transformation.

Shadow smirked wildly, emitting a feral growl from his throat. His eyes flashed as he leaped into the air, releasing ten golden claws from his fingertips. He landed easily on the head of the robot and dug his claws into the metal, yanking off a sheet of it to reveal several vital wires. Shadow was just about to swipe them out when a wide hand knocked him away. Eggman glared at the young Krotion. "How dare you?" he snarled, glowering at the dark creature as he lifted himself up off the ground.

Shadow groaned, spitting out the tiniest amount of blood on the ground. He shook his head as he pushed himself to his knees. "That wasn't nice." he grumbled, standing up again, lifting one hand to his mouth and spitting out a tooth. He narrowed his eyes at it. "That was my wisdom tooth." He glared at the doctor meaningfully, pursing his lips. "Do you know how long I kept that tooth in my jaw?"

Eggman glared and sent his robot to attack the black hedgehog. Before Shadow could try to dodge, the iron hand wrapped around his muscular, lean body. Shadow could feel the claws of Eggman's newest robot tighten their grasp on his body. For a brief moment, he thought his ribs would crack under the pressure and crush his lungs.

Dr. Eggman cackled demonically, gazing at Shadow like a hawk would eye a young rabbit. Shadow could feel his heart skip a beat when Echo flew up behind the giant robot. He started struggling, kicking, pulling on his arms, anything to break free before his only son could do something stupid. "Let go!" He snarled, his eyes turning red with bloodwrath.

Echo glared at the robot. "Let go of my daddy!" he shouted, landing where Shadow ripped up the panel and pulling on the electrical cords.

Shadow felt his heart sink as Eggman directed his free hand and hit the kid off his head. Echo landed on the street below with a thud, slid across the pavement, and stopped next to a skyscraper.

That triggered something inside the ultimate life form's body. His eyes turned coal black, his quills turned razor sharp, and his fangs doubled in size. He looked into the cock pit of the Egg Destroyer, a new spark in his eye. His right cheek covered the bottom of the eye, giving him a psychotic appearance as he snarled like a wild animal, releasing his foot claws and digging them into the bottom of the robot's hand.

Now, he completed the Feral Fury transformation, his tail growing to full length and sprouting a spike at the end. Shadow released a feral roar that shattered glass and shook the foundations of every building within a mile radius. Echo stirred slightly as the feral form of his father charged at the robot that hit him.

All Shadow could see was an enemy. He could see the giant robot and the man inside, but he couldn't see his surroundings or hear the fearful cries of his friends, much less the pleading cries of the same friends for him to calm down or take it easy. All he could hear was the adrenaline pumping through his veins, spreading his anger like wildfire.

He leaped into the air and sent his entire body into the main torso of the robot. The next thing he felt was blood dripping from his shoulder. A large piece of shrapnel was embedded deep in his arm, so deep that it was in his bone. He ignored the throbbing pain and ran up the robot. After all, it's hard to feel pain if you feel only rage.

He snarled as he brought a large, clawed paw down on the glass windshield. Several chunks of glass stuck in the pad as he reached down and dragged the overweight man out of the cockpit. Once Eggman was lying helpless on the felled robot, Shadow reared his head and opened his jaws. Bringing down his head lightning-fast, he snapped his jaws together, sending his teeth through the doctor's skull.

And just like that, it was over. Once the blood touched his tongue, Shadow's anger subsided and he turned back to normal, the blood dripping down from his wounds. He gulped after a moment, savoring the salty, warm blood of his enemy, the one that hurt his only child.

All at once, the pain hit him. He hissed, staggering to his feet and surveying the damage. It had all happened so fast. The shrapnel still stuck out of the tender flesh. He winced, grabbing hold of the iron and yanking it out of the bone. A tear slid down his cheek as it was removed. Then, he looked at his bloody right hand and the glass sticking out of the damaged palm.

At that moment, he felt someone tug his left pant leg. He looked down to find his own son gazing up at him. "Daddy, are you okay?"

Shadow couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll live. What about you?" He asked concernedly, lifting up the kid and walking off the robot. "That robot hit me pretty hard. It must have hurt you more than me."

Echo frowned. "Daddy, you're bleeding. I'm not. I think you're hurt more."

Shadow smirked. "Blood is easily renewed. When you didn't move after he hit you, I thought... I thought I lost you before I knew you." His expression had changed. "You're only a year and a half old. That would have been enough to kill me if you were killed."

Echo rested his small head on Shadow's chest. "I'm okay. I promise."

- - -

End Chapter 4. Sry it took so long to post.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5. Too much of this story to type to give an actual intro. And I'm too lazy.

I own jack shit.

- - -

Sonic charged up to the two Krotions. "Wow, Shadow! That was awesome! How'd you do that?"

Shadow rose an eyebrow. "Do what?"

"One minute you were all normal, the next you went feral GRRR-master on his ass!" Sonic gasped.

"Watch your mouth. There are young ears present." Shadow sniffed, walking away from an astonished and confused blue hedgehog.

- - -

_Legends are not born. They are made. Long ago, the Four Great Civilizations lived in peace; the Knuckles clan, the Nocturnus clan, the Krotion clan, and the humans. The animal clans made sure the humans were safe, while the humans lived in blissful ignorance. Their own foolishness was what kept the humans alive._

_The animal civilizations were, in essence, ruled by their gods. The Knuckles Clan worshipped only one; he was the one who they believed created the world. Humans created their religion from that of the Knuckles clan._

_The Nocturnus worshipped two gods; their gods were called 'Twilight', the god of darkness, and 'Solar', the god of light. It was told that Twilight guarded the Twilight Cage while Solar guarded Heaven, and that any echidna that chose darkness would be banished to Twilight's realm._

_The Krotions worshipped four gods; Aquatus, god of water; Terrafus, god of earth and plants; Oxus, god of air; and Infernus, god of hell and destruction. They believed that Aquatus, Terrafus, Oxus, and Infernus once lived in harmony—much like God and the Angel's before the Holy War that split heaven into two factions—until Infernus got the idea in his head that Terrafus' creations had become corrupt and sent four monsters to correct his brother's mistake: Draconus, a fire-breathing lizard with wings and fangs, whose very breath could kill the strongest of creatures; Cerberus, a three-headed hound with the strength to crush diamonds between his massive jaws; Opticus, who looked like a giant version of the humans Terrafus created, but with one eye in the center of his forehead instead of two; and Voltus, who could direct electricity through his snake-like body. Only two weeks passed before Aquatus,Terrafus, and Oxus saw what their brother had done. Casting him away in chains, the three gods locked him in the center of the planet and forced Cerberus to keep watch. Then, Terrafus transformed Draconus into the Ring of Fire, allowing him to travel only within the planet's magma. He transformed Opticus into a mountain and put him in the Himalayas, forming the tallest mountain in the range. Finally, the earth god's eyes fell upon the monstrous snake his brother created. Before Terrafus could strip him of his powers, the snake foretold that when blood of weak met blood of strong, the balance of nature would become upset, and it would release all the monsters from their prisons. With that, the snake forfeited his abilities willingly in exchange for a deadly stare and incurable venom. Terrafus showed disdain in giving the vile creature such abilities, but consented. Thus, the four were cast away, forgotten. But, every five years, two of the Krotion villagers would go missing, never to be seen or heard from again._

- - -

**Five Years Later...**

It was a particularly cold winter. Shadow and Rouge were now happily married and Echo had grown to be a six-year-old child who showed promise in both the academic and athletic fields. Shadow was actually in a better mood than usual, telling Echo of his heritage.

"Your grandfather approached each battlefield with hope, hope that this would come to an end. All this senseless fighting was upsetting to him because he was a bit of a pacifist. He believed the world could be a happy, nice, peaceful place to be, much like other Krotions believed. We were a very peaceful, artistic people. But I think that's what caused our downfall. Because we never truly encountered our full rage, we didn't know how to control ourselves when we did get angry. Not being able to control ourselves, we put ourselves in danger without thinking of the consequences of our actions." Shadow explained.

Echo was silent. He liked—nay, loved—listening to his father talk about his heritage. He was right; Krotions were very gifted in the creative field. They sang, danced, created sculptures, painted—anything and everything they did was to express their feelings for something.

Rouge smiled at the men of the house. Shadow and Echo bonded so quickly. It was like watching them both grow up. They did almost everything in synch. Brushed their teeth, combed their hair, wore the same clothes, watched the same shows; the only thing that wasn't the same was they didn't think the same thoughts. It was as if Shadow had his own Mini-Me now.

She chuckled as she walked into the living room. "Okay, it's time for Echo to study."

"But Mom," Echo whined.

"No 'buts'. Besides, today is Shadow's turn to teach you." She frowned, putting her hands on her hips.

Shadow gave Echo a high-five. "We'll start with math, kay?"

"Okay Dad." Echo grinned, pulling out a piece of scratch paper.

"Alright, you have two equations. The first is two times a number and three times another number is equal to a negative thirteen. The second is four times the first number and the other number is one. When graphed, these equations intersect at one point. What is that point?" Shadow asked, wondering what the answer was himself.

- - -

For those wondering, the equation looks like this:

2x+3y=13 and 4x+y=1.

- - -

Echo wrote a few things on the paper, thought it out, and looked up at Shadow. "X is equal to one, Y is a negative 5."

Shadow looked at Rouge. "Why are we teaching him Algebra I? I bet if you threw an equation at him that isn't in the book, he'll have the answer before I do."

Rouge chuckled. "Let's see then... 2x-7y=5. At the same time, 7x+y=6. Where do they intersect."

Shadow started scribbling on a piece of paper. Echo looked up from his paper and smiled. "X is nine tenths, y is negative three tenths."

A grouchy hedgehog glared at Rouge, his arms crossed. "Toldja so."

Rouge shook her head. "Echo's more mature than your are."

The ultimate life form looked at his son. As soon as she looked away, he held his hair up like it was in a ponytail and made a face like hers. He mouthed 'Echo's more mature than you are', accentuating every word.

Rouge cleared her throat, glaring at Shadow. He chuckled and grinned, pointing at Echo. "He did it."

Echo glared, laughing as he pushed him away. "Nuh-uh!"

Just then, Shadow's ear twitched. He looked out the window, curious as to what caused it. He could see nothing wrong, but in his bones he could feel something was wrong. The world was in some sort of trouble. It was like a balance had been upset, and Krotions had a natural urge to try to fix it.

Shadow felt an odd sensation within his chest. He winced and looked down. Right where his heart should have been, a black pulsating gem was embedded in his chest. He could feel an intense pain there, like something was being torn out of him. He grunted, seizing the gem and yanking it out. Blood trickled from the wound as he looked at what was in his hand: a coal-black Chaos Emerald.

Rouge gasped. "That's the-"

"Black Chaos Emerald. I thought it was just a legend, but..." Shadow was silent for a while. "This can only mean one thing." He looked at Rouge, stuffing the Emerald in his pocket and pulling out his four rings. After placing them on top of each other and muttering something in a different language, a white Chaos Emerald appeared in the center. He grabbed it and put it in a backpack, slinging it over his shoulder. "Infernus has been awakened." He shook his head. "Infernus is the god of hell and destruction in Krotion religion. Infernus is one of four gods; there's Aquatus, goddess of water and life; Terrafus, goddess of earth and plants; Oxus, god of air and the storm; and Infernus, god of hell and destruction, and by connection, fire. At one time, the four gods lived in harmony. Then, Infernus decided his sister Terrafus' creations were polluted and Oxus' creatures-his beautiful, exotic creatures-were corrupt, so he created four monsters. Draconus, Opticus, Cerberus, and Voltus were his four monsters of the elements. As soon as Terrafus and Oxus found out, they created creatures to hold them back while they figured out what to do. They created the Yeti, whom they assigned to Opticus; the Unicorn, whom they assigned to Voltus; the Gryphn, whom they assigned to Cerberus; and the Hydra, whom they assigned to Draconus. Terrafus hated to change the creatures she and Oxus worked so hard to create, but this was something that could not be avoided. Once they were done fighting, Terrafus used his land formations to imprison all four of the monsters. Terrafus sealed Draconus—a dragon—in a volcano; and Opticus—a cyclops—in a mountain. Oxus stripped Voltus of his electrically-based powers and, in return for his voluntary forfeit, granted him his request for a deadly stare and venomous saliva, creating the only Basilisk. Finally, the three gods banded their powers together and sealed Infernus and Cerberus—the three-headed hellhound—deep within the planet. It was told that the world would become imbalanced and the Four Protectors would have to fight the Four Monsters of Elements while the One would fight Infernus. Last time, the Protectors stopped them, but had to sacrifice their lives to do so. In return, their powers were transferred into the nine Chaos Emeralds. Following them, the combined powers of the Three Great Ones—the three 'Ones' before that—were put into the Master Emerald that Knuckles the Echidna now protects. Now, only the One is chosen and he or she must face the Four Monsters and Infernus with all nine Chaos Emeralds to re-balance the world before he obtains the Master Emerald." Shadow explained.

"How is the One chosen?" Rouge inquired.

"It is unclear, but when they are chosen, they are given the ability to summon the Hidden Two, the monochromatic emeralds." He replied, staring at the backpack. "With both, they can track all the other Chaos Emeralds and find them before the Harbinger can."

"Harbinger?" Echo and Rouge questioned in unison.

"The Harbinger is the one who competes with the One to find the Chaos Emeralds first. The battle between the One and Infernus can be decided solely by which has more experience, but relies more on who has the most Chaos Emeralds. Without all nine, Infernus is nigh impossible to defeat. If he gets the Emeralds, he can take their powers to replace his own and teleport to the Master Emerald, and from their Knuckles would have to hold him off until the One got there. With the powers of the three who defeated him before, he could completely free the four beasts he created and summon hundreds more to send the planet into a flaming inferno: the End of Days."

Rouge gasped. "Why you?" she grabbed his free hand with both of hers, holding it to her heart. "Why do you have to go?"

Shadow sighed. "Because, I'm the only living Krotion that has come of age. The only other Krotions: my brother Synge, who's too young; my sister Sable, who isn't mature enough for a quest of this vitality... and a six-year-old child."

The ivory bat gasped and glanced at Echo, who was sitting on the couch paying close attention. She looked back at the ultimate life form, who now looked serious and lethal, eyes narrowed and sharp, his lips pursed together. "It must be done. If I don't do this, no one will, and the world will slowly but surely spiral down into Chaos." With that, Shadow strode out the door.

"I'll wait for you..." Rouge whispered as she watched Shadow shrink into the distance.

- - -

Somewhere, in a dark, dismal cavern, a throne sat in the center. On this throne was an equally dark, malicious and yet pink hedgehog. She sat muttering to herself. "Sonic will pay for choosing to stay single instead of dating me." Amy growled, handling her now-black Pico-Pico hammer. On the handle, she had wrapped a silver chain. Finally, she was wearing a black dress and a dark, bruised purple headband.

A small wisp appeared in front of her. A dark, scarred face with blood-colored eyes appeared in the reflective flash. A villainous, vile voice echoed in the cave. "Amy Rose Hedgehog, I chose you among twenty evil animals to perform a quest for me. There are nine Chaos Emeralds in this world. I need you to collect them before the One can find them. Then, you need to steal the black and white ones from him. Bring them to me and you will be handsomely rewarded." With that, the wisp vanished.

Amy stood up from her throne. "This one... Whoever it is, I hope it's Sonic." With that, she stompeed out of the cavern, shouldering her Pico-Pico hammer.

- - -

Shadow groaned, wiping the sweat off his brow as he trudged up the side of the Sphynx. "Whatever sick fuck gave these damn things the ability to pick where they went, I'm going to kill him." He grumbled. As he reached the head, he saw the yellow Chaos Emerald, floating proudly about a meter from the ground. "The douchebag who keeps using them is next on my list." He snarled, snatching the emerald from the air and jumping down from the giant statue.

He looked down at the map the black and white Chaos Emeralds created. "Show me the Water Emerald." He spoke clearly, leering at the screen. A picture of an underwater city appeared. A soft, feminine voice emitted from the screen. "My sensors indicate that the Water Emerald is hidden deep in the tunnels of Atlantis, the underwater city."

Shadow stamped his foot on the sand. "I'm really going to kill this idiot." He mumbled, again referring to the creator of the Chaos Emeralds who died several hundred years ago. He stuffed the three gems in his backpack and strode off to find an ocean. "This is ridiculous."

- - -

Shadow walked into the Mercenary's Emporium in Black Fang city, near the coast of the ocean. He glanced to his left and right, silently hoping there would be a creature in there who spent at least a portion of its life underwater. His eyes spotted a cloaked figure with a paddle-like tail in the corner. He was about to head in that direction when a scarred Monitor lizard strode over to him.

"What'ssss a musssscular guy like you doing in a town like thissss? Why would ssssomeone like you need ssssomeone elsssse to do your dirty work?" It hissed.

Shadow eyed him cautiously. "I have work to do. But it isn't something I can do." He was about to saunter over to the corner when a wolf walked up.

"What do you need done?" It snarled in a raspy voice.

Shadow glowered, switching to an offensive mode. "Nothing either of you can do. Back off." He snapped, curling his hands into fists.

"Ooh, the little grass-pig talks big." A nearby alligator snapped his jaws.

"That's hedgehog, roadkill-breath." Shadow growled, ready for a fight.

"Leave him alone." A mature, feminine voice with a heavy British accent retorted from the corner of the room.

Shadow looked, raising an eyebrow. The cloaked figure he was going to talk to was stepping over. "Who cares what we do to this little runt?" The alligator asked roughly.

The dark hedgehog's eyes flashed. "Little... runt?" He growled, his golden claws clearing the ends of his fingers. "Who are you calling a runt, scale-bag?"

"You, who d'ya think?" The alligator hissed, pushing him back towards the door.

Infuriated by the upstart, Shadow crouched down on all fours as his fangs grew to full length, his tail already stretching out. "I'm no runt, razor-lips!" His now-spiked tail swung left and right.

The cloaked figure looked at him for a moment and then at the alligator. "If you challenge him, it'll be suicide. That's a Krotion!"

The room fell deathly quiet, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The alligator gasped, stepping back from the Feral Fury Form-hedgehog. "But... they're supposed to be extinct!"

"The operative phrase being _supposed to be_." Shadow hissed, bunching up his hind legs. "I'll give you to the count of-" He felt an intense pain between his ears. The cloaked figure shook her head, putting down the chair and throwing back her hood to reveal a velvety head with two tiny ears and whiskers. Without a word, she lifted the unconscious hedgehog up off the ground and left the bar.

- - -

Shadow awakened slowly, feeling a pounding in his head. He shook his head and sat up gradually, testing his body for injuries. He looked around the room; it looked cozy. The walls were wooden, the kind you'd find in a log cabin. On a table near him was a hot bowl of soup. He pushed himself up quickly, looking around wildly, frantically. "What the-?"

"You need to control that temper of yours, Krotion." The otter spoke up.

His eyes snapped over to the corner where the dark brown sea-otter was seated, sipping a bit of tea. "Who are you? How did you know I'm Krotion?" He paused. "Why did you stop me from attacking that alligator?"

She glanced up, setting down her cup. "You need to learn to control that bloodwrath. I stopped you because you would've killed him and everyone else in the bar otherwise. I knew you were Krotion when I saw you after you transformed."

Looking down at his body and seeing his clothing was still in tact, he frowned and threw off the blanket. "Where's my pack?"

She nodded. "I see we're not planning on having a meaningful conversation." Without another word, she kicked the path out from under her chair.

"Nope." Shadow took up the pack, shouldering it and heading towards the door.

The otter stood up and strode over. "My name's Kit; my grandfather was Echo's best friend."

Shadow yanked open the door. "That's nice." He huffed.

Kit got up and chased after him. "I think I can help you!" She shouted.

"Congratulations!" Shadow snapped, ignoring her.

She caught up quickly and jumped in front of him, glaring at his eyes. "I know where to find Atlantis."

- - -

End Chapter 5. Hooray!


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6. I own nothing. Sorry for the nonexistent intros, I have _mucho_ catching up to do. This story hasn't been updated for what, ever?

- - -

Shadow stopped in his tracks, turning his head to the right. "You do?" He spun on his heel, turning towards the female otter.

"Yes. My family has held that secret for generations." Kit replied, coming out of the house with a small, waterproof map. "But if I help you, I want a piece of the pie."

The ultimate life form rose an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

She strode over with a smirk, folding her arms across her chest. "You're after the Chaos Emeralds to battle Infernus. I want to battle the cyclops."

"Opticus?" As she nodded, Shadow paused. "Why?"

She frowned. "The last time the Four were freed, he killed my parents. I was four years old."

Shadow shook his head and stared at her. "That would make you two hundred, fifty-four years old!"

The otter shrugged. "So?"

The dark hedgehog nodded quietly and wiped back his hair. "Well, I guess we have something in common."

Kit rose an eyebrow. "What?"

"I was born October 30, 1738."

"That means... you're-" Kit's jaw dropped.

"-two hundred seventy-one years old and counting."

"Well, gramps, shall we be off?"

"Alright. But you, young whipper-snapper, should call me by name. It's Shadow." He offered to shake hands.

Kit grabbed it and abruptly shook it. "As long as you call me Kit, I'll call you Shadow."

- - -

The ocean waves lapped against the pale shore, each time stealing a bit of sand and taking it under the angry ripples of the water. The rain hammered away at the beach, slamming against the smooth surface so hard that it sent sprays of sand up into the air and left craters all over the place, giving the shore the appearance of Swiss cheese. Nearby, there was a thick, lush wood that protected the moist soil from being swept away by the morning's violent onslaught. Next to a rocky outcropping, there stood a good-sized tent with a strong canopy. In the middle of the dry clearing, there sat Shadow and Kit, as close to the fire as possible.

"Fuckin' brilliant day for a rainstorm." Shadow grumbled, pulling his dark gunmetal blanket tighter around his soaked shoulders.

Kit rolled her eyes, patting her tail against the sand. "You complain too much."

Shadow glowered at her. "Look who's talking!" He made a sad face and pouted. "_My feet hurt. Are we there yet? I'm hungry. I'm thirsty._" He sneered again. "You can't talk."

Kit crossed her arms and huffed. "Well then what's stopping us from going to Atlantis."

Shadow looked her straight in the eyes. "I want to be dry as soon as possible. I'm not going to dry quickly if it's cold and wet outside!" With that, he covered his head with the blanket. Then, he pointed a blanket-covered finger at her. "You may enjoy being soaked to the bone, but I don't!"

The sea-otter grinned. "What's the matter? Is the One afraid of water?"

The ultimate life form threw the blanket on the dry sand by the tent. "I fear nothing."

"Then why won't you just go?" She asked, putting her soft paws on her hips.

The dark hedgehog scrambled to his feet. "FINE! But when my fur dries slowly and I start smelling like a wet dog, don't complain." He growled, pulling off his shoes, socks, and shirt.

With that, the two charged towards the water, Shadow on his feet and Kit on all fours, her body rolling after her legs like the waves on the ocean. She swam out a way and did a barrel roll, dipping her entire body into the water. He, on the other hand, hastily climbed the outcropping and dove into the icy, choppy depths.

The salt clung to their fur as the hedgehog and the otter dove deeper into the water. Kit watched him swim and admired his sinewy body. Even for having been trapped for several months, his muscles hadn't shrunk; as a matter of fact, they seemed thicker. However, Kit couldn't have known that.

Shadow's eyes had a translucent shield in front of them so it was like looking into the water with sunglasses on. Had Kit been more observant, perhaps she would have noticed the otherworldly gills flexing and re-flexing with the motion of the ocean. There was no protection in front of his mouth or nose; instead, his lips were parted, allowing the water to slip down his throat, through the pharynx, and out through the five slits on each side of his neck. Far off in the distance, he could see a small, glistening blue speck. He pointed at it and looked over at Kit with a confused look on his face. She nodded, flipping her tail.

Deep down, he knew he was going to have a nasty case of swimmer's ear after this. Without warning, he fired two Chaos Spears behind him and shot towards the underwater city. Seeing no danger in the vicinity, he swam as quickly as possible through an open door in the side of the glittering sapphire palace, landing cautiously on the tile floor. Quietly, he pulled out the Monochrome Emeralds and drew a symbol between them. They formed an arrow to lead him to the blue Emerald.

Shadow's ear twitched as the water around him rippled. He spun around and found himself face-to-face with a Great White Shark. It's ivory teeth glistened in the water as it opened its huge jaws mere inches from his face. Shadow could feel hi blood run cold as it posed to strike. Finding his legs, he spun around and paddled through the water. The chase was on.

His heart was racing. He knew if he tried to battle the shark, he wouldn't be able to move fast enough. His only option was to flee, to escape the best he could. He looked down at the map. The arrow pointed left and he flipped into the next hallway. Near the end of the path, the blue Chaos Emerald floated near a door. He glared and shot towards it. Now, he was chased by a shark, and chasing a Chaos Emerald. It darted into the room and he just barely had time to turn after it. He clenched his teeth and kicked his legs, hitting the shark on the nose. He shoved forward and his fingers wrapped around the wet, blue gem.

It wasn't until he had the emerald in his hand that he realized the door he came in was his only way out. He spun around and was eye-to-eye with the shark again. This tine, Shadow sneered and clenched his hands around all three gems, mouthing the words 'Chaos Control'.

The very next second, he and Kit flew out of the water and landed on the beach. Shadow rolled onto his stomach and coughed up about a quart of salt water as his gills sealed over again. He dragged himself to the tent and stuffed all three gems back into the pack.

He turned his head to Kit, chest heaving as he gulped down the fresh air. "Four down." Shadow chuckled as he dragged himself to his feet and began sorting salt out of his fur.

- - -

Shadow looked around. They were in Glyphic Canyon. He thought it was a nice turnaround from the ocean, but Kit thought it was horrible. The intense heat was drying her out like a prune. He looked down at the map the Chaos Emeralds formed. "The next emerald should be somewhere around her."

"Which one is it?" Kit asked, wiping some sweat from her forehead.

"It's the green one. Obtaining it is imperative to the mission. The emerald... well, Emerald... stands for plants and life. Inside, it holds the keys to regeneration, reincarnation, and rebirth." he nodded, putting the Emeralds back into the pack.

Kit blinked. "Is _that_ it up there?" She asked, pointing to a glowing gem high up on a pillar.

Shadow's eyes flashed. "Good grief. God forbid these damn things remain within ten feet of the ground." he snapped, striding angrily towards the pillar. Without a word, he powered up two Chaos Spears and shot them towards the ground, propelling himself up to the top of the pillar. The emerald didn't budge as he clenched his hand around it's sharp contours. "That's five!" He shouted down to Kit.

- - -

Sweat poured from every pore of Shadow's body. "I've said it before and I'll say it again." He growled, reaching down a bit further. "Whatever sick fuck gave these damn things the ability to pick where they went, I'm going to kill him."

Shadow was currently dangling in the mouth of Mt. Vesuvius near the ruins of Pompeii, mere feet from a pool of singing hot magma. Levitating below him was the crimson Chaos Emerald.

The Red Chaos Emerald stands for two very different worlds due to the emotional tear of the creature whose energy powered the gem. His name was Smolder, and, being born of a demon and a dove, was torn between love and hate. He was the confidant of the first One, a female Krotion whose name was lost to the sands of time. Smolder's power lay in this emotional tug-of-war. He could control the fires of hell and hate, being half demon, but also held the purity of an angel, preventing him from being corrupted in any way. He fell for a swallow who was chosen as the Harbinger. Crushed by that sense of betrayal, he threw caution to the wind and prevented the swallow from coming within three miles of the One. But, when it came right down to it and it was a kill-or-be-killed situation, Smolder couldn't bring himself to kill the swallow. He let her kill him rather than killing her, and in return the three pure Krotion Gods granted him eternity, turning his soul into an angel to dwell with them forevermore in peace. To remind the world of Smolder's sacrifice, a single teardrop from Aquatus' face was crafted into a gemstone in which Oxus sealed the dove's power, sending it to Mobius to join the other Chaos Emeralds to continue to fight against Infernus. For every Krotion and anyone who would care to hear the story, the crimson gem was known as the Bleeding Heart, the Eternal Stone, and Smolder's Passion.

Ironically, for his sacrifice, Smolder is more remembered than the One who stopped Infernus the first time. A somewhat cliché love story, every Krotion knows the story by heart.

He was suspended by his ankles, attached to a cable that went up out of the vent and into the strong paws of Kit. She grunted. "Hurry up and grab the emerald!"

Shadow glanced up. "You want me to grab it faster? Than lower me down so I can reach the damn thing!"

Kit rolled her eyes and slowly lowered the cable.

Shadow was joined by another barrage of sweat as he reached down and tried to grab the Chaos emerald. The red gem darted out of reach. A frantic look showed on his face as he scrambled to snatch it.

At the edge of the volcano, Kit yelped and released the rope. As he fell, Shadow's arms flailed and he felt his fingers wrap around something smooth.

He was completely surrounded by boiling hot magma, but he wasn't burning. It felt like he was walking on air as he floated down into the magma pit. Confusion and curiosity dominated his thoughts. Finally, he worked up the courage to open his eyes.

It didn't hurt. He blinked a couple times, shook his head, and looked around. All he saw was red, molten rock. He wondered if he was dead, but then remembered he could feel something in his hand. He glanced down and saw in his palm, curled beneath his fingers, was a crimson gem.

_The Red Chaos Emerald!_

Obviously, the Emerald's natural ability to control fire, and by extension heat, was protecting him. The old sayings of the Krotion elders were true: _He who wields Smolder's Passion shall never be scorched. _He smirked and paddled upward, crawling up the side of the vent and hauling his muscular body out, shaking the magma from his fur before it cooled. Shadow froze as he heard a scream at the base of the volcano. His eyes darted to the source: Kit was fighting a pink hedgehog with a black dress and a Pico-Pico hammer.

Amy! That psychotic bitch would kill Kit if he let her. Shadow clenched his teeth and charged down the side of the volcano, stuffing the red Chaos Emerald into his pack.

"Where is the One?" Amy snarled, swinging her hammer at the sea-otter.

The agile mammal rolled away from the crushing hammer blow. "Thanks to you, I dropped him!"

Amy sneered. "Then I guess it'll be easier to collect the Chaos Emeralds, as he's gone."

"Guess again!" Shadow roared, leaping from his rocky perch to a spot between the warring females. "I'm fine." He barked at Kit before she could open her mouth, never taking his eyes of Amy.

Amy rose her eyebrow. "So, are you the One?"

Shadow crossed his arms, leaned back and relaxed his shoulders. "Who wants to know?" He growled, ready for a tussle.

The rose hedgehog frowned, tightening her grasp on the Pico-Pico hammer. "Infernus sent me to collect the nine Chaos Emeralds. I'm just uncertain about one thing: what ignoramus would choose a weakling like a Krotion to go after the Chaos Emerald.

The young Krotion felt his blood pressure escalate as he curled his hands into fists and pointed an accusing finger at her. "Choose your next words cautiously, as they may be your last."

"You don't scare me any more than you scare anyone else. You're a pompous weak _fool_ who must be put in his place." She snapped, narrowing her eyes at the obsidian hedgehog.

Everything happened so quickly. First, Shadow crouched to all fours, taking on his Feral Fury Form and charging towards the rose female. Amy leaped up into the air and slammed her Pico-Pico hammer down on his head.

He submit to his instincts and rolled away, kicking at her knees and sending her sprawling to the ground. Then, he got up and ran to her body, hooking his sharp teeth into the straps of her dress like a dog with a chew-toy. Amy snarled and thrust the handle of her hammer into his chest, knocking the wind from his lungs and forcing him to release. While he tried to catch his breath, she gripped the handle of her hammer, posed to strike. Shadow growled and dodged, rolling to his back and driving his clawed feet into her stomach.

The pink hedgehog gasped and choked, realizing that fighting Shadow, even if he didn't have the Chaos Emeralds, was suicide to someone of her skill level. She just wasn't his equal. Thinking quickly, Amy lifted her hammer and slammed the spike at the end into the ground, tearing open an escape route. "I'll see you later, fool!" She cackled, hopping down into the hole.

Shadow leaped forward and found his claws in contact with nothing but soil. Slowly, he transformed back to his normal form. "FUCK!" The word slipped out as he punted a stone, sending it flying towards the sea. "Too slow!" He put his hands on his hips and shook his head angrily.

Kit stepped over to the hedgehog. "Who was that?"

He sighed. "The Harbinger has been chosen. That was her." He glanced at Kit. "Now, we have to work twice as fast. The more Chaos Emeralds we have, the easier it will be to annihilate her, and then we move on to the Four Beasts of the Apocalypse, and then Infernus."

"Why do we take them out in that order?" Kit rose her eyebrow. "And what would happen if we didn't?"

"Imagine what would happen if every demon, every creature, every _conceivable_ monster came to the surface and there was nobody to stop them. My fight with Infernus must be uninterrupted, one-on-one. On top of that, I have no choice but to win or die trying. If he gets the emeralds first, it'll be like sheep to the slaughter, and I'm the sheep."

- - -

End of Chapter 6


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 8. Fight scene, awkwardness, the guarantee of something interesting to happen... whatever. Not caring enough to say more right now.

UPDATE: Finally got off my lazy ass and posted this.

Shadow's blood ran cold. _I'm running out of time!_ He thought, silently cursing under his breath as the one-eyed monster brought his fist down on the ground only centimeters from where he would've been only moments later. _Nice aim, but not this time._ He tensed his leg muscles and leaped onto the hand, charging up the sinuous arm of the cyclops.

If looks could kill, Shadow and Kit would've dropped dead when they saw Opticus. His face was craggy and stone gray, like the mountain he was sealed in. His eye was solid white with a cold speck in the middle for a pupil, sunken back into his head. Though muscular, the cyclops was fat, his stomach hanging over his ridiculously large shorts; and bald.

Without a word, Shadow jumped into the air and fired a Chaos Spear into the monster's forehead. Opticus roared and smacked Shadow away from his head. With a sickening thud, he drilled into the ground, creating a crater and ceasing all movement. Kit ran to his side and shook his shoulder.

Quietly, she rolled him on his back; when his other shoulder touched the ground, he came conscious, sucking in a sharp breath of air from between clenched teeth. Wincing, he pushed himself to a sitting position. Adjusting his eyes, he saw the clear Chaos Emerald floating behind the cyclops, just within the reach of Amy Rose.

With a glower, Shadow got to his feet as quick as a wink and charged around the cyclops, tackling Amy away from the precious gem. "Kit, distract the cyclops! I'll tangle with Amy."

The pink hedgehog sneered darkly, pushing the dark hedgehog off. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Shadow. How have you been?" She asked with a jeering tone.

In response, Shadow snarled and crouched into a fighting position. "Shut up and fight."

Amy smirked. "What's the matter, Shady?"

The Krotion felt a spark of rage ignite the fire of his heart. An enraged growl emitted from his throat. "Don't you _EVER_ call me that!" He roared, beginning a new transformation.

His fur turned a glistening yellow, almost woven from gold as his ears lengthened to twice their length and curled slightly inward. Taking on the appearance of a wolf's tail, his tail lengthened and puffed up, twisting in the air. Finally, his muzzle grew out as razor sharp claws shot out of the tips of his fingers and toes. Now, he was in what the Krotions called Feral Fury Form stage 2. That meant he'd skedaddled past mad: he was furious. He howled, stomping a thick, burly paw on the ground that gave off a shockwave that would've knocked any normal creature down.

The Harbinger sniffed. "You won't win. I've been training since our last encounter. Let's make this fight interesting. How about winner takes the Chaos Emerald?"

"Fine, but I make the rules." Shadow narrowed his eyes. "One, no low blows. Two, no eye pokes. Three, before a winner is declared, the loser must either forfeit or lay on the ground unmoving for a full ten seconds, and I don't mean hurried seconds. I mean one Mississippi, two Mississippi, etcetera."

She thought for a while, then smirked. "Deal." She replied, crouching into her own fighting position.

Shadow glared and charged forward, leaping into the air with his tail twisting through the air. Amy gasped and rolled out of the way of the muscular Krotion. He landed with a soft padding thud. Without really thinking about it, he turned and lunged at her. Again, she jumped out of his way.

Now, frustration got a grip on him. This bitch was quickly wearing away his patience. Another attack without consideration, he leaped towards her...

...Right over the edge of Glyphic Canyon. Shadow looked down, immediately losing Feral Fury Form 2 to surprise and panic. "Shit!" He gasped, falling down into the seemingly endless abyss.

Amy sneered and started to count. "One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi, five Mississippi," she strode towards the emerald, confident in her victory.

The dark hedgehog clenched his teeth and drove his claws into the rocks. Sparks showered as his claws ground against the thick stone. As soon as he slowed down sufficiently, Shadow shot up the side of the stone wall, a bat out of hell. The wind whistled in his ears as he rose up from the pit that was the canyon.

"Six Mississippi, seven Mississippi..." she continued, only a few steps from her precious stone.

Shadow could hear her counting clearly now, snarling as he punched the wall and sent a shockwave to signal he was still up. Then, he continued scaling the wall at double his own speed.

Up topside, Amy stumbled and fell. "Damn!" she hissed. "Eight Mississippi, NINE MISSISSIPPI..." she stood up and wrapped her fingers around the emerald. "Ten."

As the word came out of her mouth, Shadow's hand curled around the edge of the cliff. Cursing himself for being so slow, he pulled himself up, chest heaving from the intense labor it took to haul his weight up the cliff at that speed. "Oxus dammit!"

Amy strode over to him, curling her fingers around his unnoticing shoulder and driving her own claws into the soft flesh. Shadow screeched in a mixture of pain and surprise as she lifted him to his feet. "Told you I'd win." She hissed, bringing him up close. "After all, you're job is to get the emeralds. My hob, however, is to simply steal them from you, or better yet, destroy you." She smirked, bringing his face an inch from her own. "It _would_ save you a lifetime of eternal damnation if I killed you, but that would be nice." At that, she pressed her lips against his.

The Krotion stopped struggling out of shock, but only for a moment. Once he regained his senses, he swung his right knee into her chest with as much force as he could muster.

She gasped, releasing her vicegrip on his shoulder and doubling over, allowing him the chance to fight back. "We'll just see about that!" He sneered, roundhouse-kicking her in the face.

Amy smirked, standing to full height. "Well played. Opticus! Let's away! We need to find the next emerald." At that, she seized Shadow's cheek, narrowing her eyes. "Where's the purple one?"

Shadow glared at her. "You want the emerald, you'll have to find it yourself. I don't know where it is." He lied, shoving her hand away. "Think of where you'd find purple and look there." He kept a straight face through the whole thing.

The Harbinger frowned, looking into the dark hedgehog's amber eyes. "If you're lying, you'll be sorry." She snapped, turning on her heels and sashaying away, followed closely by the cyclops. In her hand, the clear Chaos Emerald shimmered in the noontime sun, almost like it was saying goodbye to the Krotion.

His nostrils flared as Shadow about-faced and strode in the opposite direction, towards Doom's Grave. "Where are you going?" Kit shouted after him, keeping up as best she could.

"I'm going to get the other fucking Emerald. Then, I'm going to tear that bitch a new asshole and rip that clear Chaos Emerald out of her cold, dead fingers!" He snarled, continuing his fast pace.

Kit dashed forward and ran alongside the powerful hedgehog. "What's so special about the clear Chaos Emerald."

Shadow froze, turning to the young otter. "I've come too _damn_ far to lose against Infernus! Without all seven, it's a snowball's chance in hell! I have to save this world for my son's sake! I refuse to die in vain!" His blood pressure rising, he narrowed his eyes. "YOU've never had to fight a god, and never will. You wanted to fight Opticus; you failed to so much as scratch him. Now, it's all me. I have to defeat those five hellions alone. That is the legend. That is how it must be. I appreciate your help, but now you're... a liability." He flattened his ears and lowered his head as he walked away. "Regrettably, a hindrance."

The otter could feel tears welling up in her hazel eyes. "You're acting just like he did!" She shouted, glaring.

He paused without turning to her. "He?"

"My last boyfriend!" She cried, turning away. "He was the One, too. I helped him as long as I could, but he made me go home after I failed against Opticus." Tears streamed down her velvety cheeks. "I thought is I could help you, I could prove to him—to myself—that I wasn't weak." She covered her face with her paws, falling to her knees.

"I'm not making you go home because you lost." Shadow replied, lowering his eyelids. "I'm making you go home because I can't afford to lose. These fights won't be like boss battles in video games. There won't be a 'Continue' screen popping up if I lose. Only blood and sweat as the cold talons of hell claim my body forever as the world is destroyed in a churning turmoil of chaos and destruction. I _have_ to win, and I can't be worrying about anyone else's life during the battle." He paused. "You've been a good... friend. I've lost dear friends before, and I know I can't—won't—let it happen again... not in this, or any other lifetime." With that, he charged off, leaving the weeping sea otter alone in the world again.

End chapter 8. I know it was short, but I'm sure you'll live.


End file.
